Studies for the transverse spin structure of the nucleon: di-hadron fragmentation function determination & measurement of single-spin asymmetries in π0 and η meson production with the sPHENIX experiment at the RHIC collider
We know that the fundamental constituents of the proton are quarks and gluons, but we understand only partially how its properties emerge. This thesis investigates several mechanisms related to the proton transverse spin, that is the spin component perpendicular to the proton motion. The first part is phenomenological, and focuses on fragmentation, which describes how a quark or gluon confined inside the proton hadronizes into one or more composite particles called “hadrons”. The second part describes an experimental measurement carried out during polarized proton collisions with the sPHENIX detector at the RHIC collider. We study the asymmetry in hadron production on either side of the plane defined by the perpendicular directions of the proton’s motion and spin. This observable probes the transverse proton dynamics and allows us to better understand how its spin arises from its constituents.
The Nucleon Structure Laboratory (the internal structure of hadrons)-Laboratoire de structure du nucléon LSN
LSN